I reject your reality and substitute my own

The TL:DR Bible: Luke 13-14

Jesus hears a report about how Pilate killed some Galileans during their worship of Yahweh.

Jesus: Do you think they deserved that fate more than you? No. Stuff happens, but unless you repent, you will also perish. A man had a fig tree for three years and it didn’t bear fruit, so the man was going to cut it down, but the gardener begged him to give it one more year and if it didn’t bear fruit, then he could cut it down.

(This would be “Luke’s” subtle commentary on why Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed. It was the fault of those faithless Jews who disagree with us about Jesus.)

Jesus was then teaching at a synagogue on a Saturday and he stops to heal a woman. The woman begins praising God, but the official at the synagogue says, “Hey, you’re not supposed to do that on the Sabbath.”

Jesus: You hypocrites. Don’t you water and feed your animals on the Sabbath? How much more then should I heal a daughter of Abraham who has suffered for 18 years?”

The Kingdom of God starts out small, but grows until it provides rest and shelter for many.

The kingdom of God starts out small, but from simple acts of kindness and love, grows until it spreads throughout the world.

As he journeys, someone asks, “Lord, is it true that only a handful of people will be saved?”

Jesus: Strive for your salvation. Don’t get left out of the kingdom where there will be great sorrow.

Pharisees: Herod is looking to kill you. You should get out of town.

Jesus: Go tell him that I’ve got work to do today, but soon I will meet my end. I have to go to Jerusalem to die because that’s where all prophets go to be martyred. Jerusalem? I want to comfort you and protect you, but you are not willing. So you will not see me until I return.

Chapter 14:

Jesus gets into another argument about healing on the Sabbath.

One starts to get the impression that the author is saying “Hey, don’t worry about that Jew stuff, guys. We can keep working on Saturdays and eat bacon.”

Jesus: When you go to dinner at someone’s house, don’t take the head seat at the table. Take the lowest seat and let the host move you to a higher place of honor. When you give a dinner, invite the poor, disabled, and needy. They cannot repay you, so you will receive a reward in heaven.

The kingdom of God is like a man throwing a large banquet. And he sent messengers to the guests that RSVP’ed, but they all cancelled at the last minute and gave him various excuses. So the man told his slaves to go and bring all of the poor, disabled, and needy people they could find. And when there was still room, he sent them out again to find anyone who would come.

Jesus noticed that large crowds were following him, so he stopped and told them:

If you guys don’t love me more than your own family, you’re not worthy of me. Each of you must be willing to die on a cross for my sake. So consider the cost of following me. This is totally Jesus addressing the crowd and not the author of Luke addressing the persecuted Christian community where many would be having doubts and be considering deconverting to save their lives and repair familial relationships.